"When I saw Lauvao do that, I kind of was just pissed that he was doing that and just nudged him," Ngata said to the Baltimore Sun. "Kind of a heat-of-the-moment thing. That was the only thing. I was just trying to protect my player."

Ngata did not receive a penalty on the play but he could still face a fine from the league office.

"No disrespect to Shawn because we know each other," Ngata said. "It was the heat of the moment, and just was mad that he tried a late hit."